The Internet comprises a vast number of computers and computer networks that are interconnected through communication channels. Because it facilitates electronic communications between vendors and purchasers, the Internet is increasingly being used to conduct “electronic commerce.” Electronic commerce refers generally to commercial transactions that are at least partially conducted using the computer systems of the parties to the transactions. For example, a purchaser can use a personal computer to connect via the Internet to a vendor's computer. The purchaser can then interact with the vendor's computer to conduct the transaction. Although many of the commercial transactions that are performed today could be performed via electronic commerce, the acceptance and widespread use of electronic commerce depends, in large part, upon the ease-of-use of conducting such electronic commerce. If electronic commerce can be easily conducted, then even the novice computer user will choose to engage in electronic commerce. Therefore, it is important that techniques be developed to facilitate conducting electronic commerce.
One of the fundamental aspects of electronic commerce is creation and maintenance of a useful web site through which vendors and buyers can carry out transactions. Typically, this type of web site allows vendors to display product information (e.g., product descriptions, price information, product images) and allows customers to browse for products and place and confirm orders. It may also allow customers to provide product review information and may be dynamically tailored to provide custom content for individual customers. Initially creating this type of web site can be complicated, costly and time-consuming. As with the display of physical products in a store, it is important that product information on a web site be well organized and attractively displayed so customers can easily find what they are looking for. Likewise, it is desirable to provide a system for obtaining purchase information from customers in a simple and efficient way. Once the web site is initially created, it is important that the web site is updated as new products are offered for sale and old products are sold out or discontinued. Special sales or promotions may also call for changes to the web site.
Making changes to a web site often involves careful planning to avoid inconsistencies in information presented on the site at any given time. This is especially true in the case where more than one person is authorized to update or change a web site's content. Accordingly, such changes are typically prepared in advance and then scheduled for release or publication to the live web site at a specified time. To assure quality, systems that have been developed to help vendors create and maintain web sites (i.e., content management systems) may incorporate a workflow process so that a manager can review and approve/disapprove content changes prior to release. However, review of content changes can be tedious and complex, especially when the practice of preparing releases in advance of the actual release date results in the accumulation of multiple scheduled but unreleased changes.
Where multiple unreleased changes accumulate, it is likely that changes in one scheduled release may affect changes in another scheduled release, eventually causing significant problems on the live web site. For example, a release scheduled for the fifth day of the month may delete a “toys” browse directory, and a release scheduled for the sixth day of the month may attempt to add a new child browse directory (e.g., a “dolls” browse directory) to the “toys” browse directory (which will no longer exist by the time the release is published to the live web site). Unless the problem is identified, the missing browse directory will cause errors in the live web site upon publication of the two releases. Additionally, when creating new releases, an accumulation of unreleased changes may make it difficult to visualize the effect of further changes to subsequent releases. For example, a live web site may currently advertise a sale on sweaters by displaying an image of a man's sweater along with the text “FIFTEEN PERCENT OFF ALL FALL SWEATERS.” A release scheduled for the fourth day of the month may change the image of the sweater to an image of a woman model wearing a sweater. Relying on the man's sweater image currently published on the live web site, a user creates a release scheduled for the eighth of the month and changes the text to “FALL MEN'S SWEATER SALE” without changing the associated image. Unless this problem is somehow identified prior to release, the live web site will at some point contain conflicting information that may confuse or turn-away customers.
It would be desirable to have a method and associated system for preventing inconsistencies in changes to web sites, both at the time that the changes are being created and at the time the changes are being reviewed prior to release.